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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. wound — an injury
  3. plane — a tool
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. pitch — completely
  6. saw — the tool
  7. season — of the year
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. saw — the tool
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. bat — the animal
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. snap — to click
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. wound — an injury
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. season — in sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com